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ABOUT OUR DISTRICT:
The Syracuse City School District is Building our Future by ensuring that all students have the opportunity to achieve at a high level. Teaching and learning are our core business and we know that education is essential to improve future life opportunities for our students. We also recognize that strong leaders and teachers together have a profound impact on student achievement. With this in mind, we are seeking educators who are ready to partner with us and our community in ensuring a bright future for all students. The Syracuse City School District represents 34 schools and 4 alternative education programs and serves over 21,000 students in grades Pre K-12. 78% of SCSD students qualify for free or reduced lunch price, and approximately 20% are served by the Office of Special Education. 77% of the students in the school district are students of color.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The district is committed to ensuring that there is an effective school leadership at the helm of every school and a high quality teacher in every classroom. Syracuse Vice Principals provide transformational leadership to planning and managing one of the district’s schools. This includes: assisting in implementing a school instructional model which focuses on high student achievement; building a positive school climate that supports the whole student; leveraging research and data to drive instructional practice; and building a high-performing staff to achieve the school’s vision and goals. The Vice Principal will collaborate with parents, community members, the SCSD central office, consultants, as well as other internal/external resources and stakeholders to implement new educational programs, school culture, systems reform, tools and other resources to accelerate student achievement.
REPORTS TO: Principal
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Vice Principal will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:
- Results Orientation
- Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that all team members must be advocates for students
- Set high performance goals for self and others despite instability and obstacles to success
- Establish and enforce high standards for excellence with students, teachers, and staff
- Relentlessly focus school activities on student achievement
- Promote a widely shared institutional belief that every child deserves and can have expert instruction and that it is their responsibility to help ensure this practice
- Assist in creating a sense of urgency and in taking immediate action to ensure early successes
- Action Orientation
- Effectively plan and take action to achieve goals and objectives under the direction of the principal
- Consistently identify potential issues and obstacles and proactively take action to create and implement solutions
- Formulate and execute on action plans despite ambiguity, obstacles or resistance
- Impact and Influence
- Identify and engage teachers to drive consensus, build trust and facilitate change
- Establish a culture of learning and achievement
- Act consistently to influence others’ thinking and behavior to achieve results
- Assist in anticipating and responding to stakeholder concerns and identify and engage key influencers and community resources necessary for success
- Lead High Performing Teams and Develop and Execute Rigorous, Standards-Aligned Instruction
- Know and execute teaching and learning best practices, including involving different modalities and engaging a variety of students
- Coach teachers on recognizing cause and effect between instructional activities and results
- Effectively organize adult teams to mirror vision and produce maximum results
- Understand strengths and areas of growth for both team and individuals
- Effectively engage team in shared decision-making when appropriate
- Encourage learning and consistently provide instruction, expectations, feedback and other developmental activities to encourage leadership and build capacity
- Consistently inspire excellence and promote high morale and a positive school culture
- Strategic Planning and Problem Solving
- Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to school performance
- Analyze complex information to help formulate strategic vision and implement action plans
- Use qualitative and quantitative data to help in assessing performance and to help drive goals and decision-making
- Quickly recognize patterns and trends related to student academic performance and be able to develop this skill in teachers
- The Vice Principal will be expected to perform additional related duties as required.
EDUCATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
- Possession of a Master’s Degree or Certification in Educational Leadership or related field
- Minimum 3 years of teaching experience in an urban district
- Adaptable to the complexities of the urban school environment
- Strong belief that all students can learn at high levels and focus on building this culture school-wide
- Proven experience in teaching in urban schools to accelerate student academic and learning performance
- Demonstrated success establishing a safe and positive school and/or classroom culture that is conducive to student needs and student learning
- Familiar with classroom and/or school level best practices to build and sustain change
- Knowledge of current trends and best practices in education policy and research, including comprehensive assessment systems and data-driven instruction
- Experience participating in successful design and delivery of educator professional development
- Demonstrated success in school leadership activities (student activities, department head, etc.)
- Prior demonstration of exemplary attendance is expected of any candidate for hire.
- Training and or experience with Culturally Relevant Education (preferred)
- Preference will be given to those internal candidates who have participated in the Syracuse Aspiring Leadership Academy (SALA).
- City Residents are encouraged to apply!
CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS:
- Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) from an accredited College or University
- New York State Certificate in Education Administration (School Building Leader).
Note: Applicants for Vice Principal (VP) positions who do not have prior experience in the role of VP, may serve up to two years as an Administrative Intern before being appointed to a VP position.
SALARY/SALARY RANGE:
- Per the Unit 2 contractual agreement
